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‘Everyone knows everyone in a small community. That does not automatically make them a criminal.’ Grace folded her arms indignantly.

‘I get that. Did you know them?’

‘No, but… You mentioned my dressmaker, and I picked up some tension between you two when I was showing you my dress. Did Bryan know her too?’

‘That’s one of the things we need to establish,’ Lottie said, hoping Grace didn’t dig any further. The time was not right to reveal Ann’s news about the little girl who might have been Bryan’s sibling.

Grace stood and slapped the tea towel down on the table. ‘I think my brother is right.’

‘In what way?’

‘Mark said that you are a hard, unfeeling woman.’

‘He never said that.’ Lottie felt the shock register on her face and bit her lip to keep from saying something she’d regret. How was this happening?

‘He did so. You are trying to stop me having any happiness in my life because you don’t have it yourself.’ Grace paused, closed her eyes, then opened them. She’d made up her mind. ‘I don’t want you under my roof tonight, Lottie Parker. I’d like you to leave. Now. You can go and find a hotel for yourself. You are no longer welcome here.’

62

Kirby went off to meet Mooney. He said nothing to Lottie concerning Grace’s outburst. Just patted her arm to show his sympathy for her predicament. The only thing she’d said to him was to not tell Boyd that Grace had evicted her. He promised he wouldn’t, but she knew they were buddies so she couldn’t count on him.

Bryan had not returned to the house while she packed her case. She got on the phone and found a room in a hotel between Spiddal and Salthill. Google Maps showed it overlooking the sea. Maybe she could jump out a window and disappear in the water. She sniffed away her tears and sat on the bed, phone in hand, Boyd’s name and number open on the screen.

Was this really the end for them? Had she been that bad a partner? Wasn’t he the one who was disagreeable? Surely he had to accept that she could not walk away from a crime, or a supposed crime. It had yet to be determined if Bryan was involved or not. At the very least, he was guilty of not searching for his little sister or trying to find out what had happened to her. Likewise regarding his old girlfriend and baby.

The images from Ann’s story about what had occurred in the laundry decades ago caused her to shiver violently. Howcould anyone be that cruel to a defenceless child? And it seemed the crime committed in Ragmullin in recent days bore some similarity to those that had occurred in Galway. No matter which way she looked at it, she could not see Bryan as the sort of man who would scald and burn people. It had to be Robert Hayes. But what had Imelda Conroy learned from Bryan? Why had she sought him out initially?

And then there was that DNA Mooney had mentioned. Shaking her head slowly, she put her phone away. Would her pursuit of the truth deny her her own happiness? Possibly. She zipped up her case and made her way down the stairs.

She exited using the front door, not wishing to encounter a distressed Grace. By the time Lottie and Kirby had left the kitchen earlier, Grace was crying into her hands, childlike. And that was why she felt so protective of the young woman. She was trusting, loving, a prime candidate to be taken advantage of. To be hurt. Lottie could not bear for that to happen. But at the very least, Grace was entitled to know the truth, and she was determined to find it. Even if it put paid to the impending wedding. She was right, wasn’t she?

She extracted the phone from her pocket again, pressed the number. Listened to it ring before voicemail cut in. She hung up. She didn’t know what to say to Boyd on a voicemail. She had no idea of how to fix things. Not now. Not yet. She could work on him once she either discovered the truth or let go of her need for it.

The hotel was luxurious and she didn’t even look at the price. A few nights would not break the bank. She hoped. She took a long, warm shower, just because she needed to feel the power of water after three days of dribbles. Drying herself, she marvelled at the softness of the big towel.

When she was dressed, she stood at the bay window and concentrated on the whitecaps on the sea. She couldn’t hear a thing because of the triple-glazed windows, but the sound was echoing in her ears from all the time she’d spent outdoors at Bryan’s house.

Kirby had texted her to say he had a meeting scheduled with Mooney and the sergeant had specifically said it would not happen if Lottie turned up. So be it, she thought. It wasn’t going to stop her doing her own investigation.

First, though, she phoned Chloe.

‘Yeah, Mam, Gran is good. She’s knitting and ripping and knitting. Her friend Betty calls in every day.’

‘How is Louis doing?’ She was missing her grandson more than her own children. That made her smile.

‘He’s pining for Sean. I think it’s more that he misses the PlayStation. I never knew my brother could have that much patience with a child. I think he should be a teacher.’

‘I believe he is aiming for something more in the tech world. But you never know. And Katie? How is she?’

‘She’s being a pain in the arse. We have a rota for caring for Gran this week, especially when I’m at work. And what does Katie do the other night? She goes out on a date. Selfish wagon.’

‘Did she leave Rose on her own?’ Lottie gripped her phone tighter, horrified. Chloe was employed in Fallon’s, a local pub, and she worked most evenings.

‘She wrangled Betty to stay. She has a new boyfriend. God knows who he is, given her track record. My sister’s a piece of work.’

‘At least she didn’t skive off and abandon Rose. Give her some credit.’

Chloe groaned. ‘Katie can do no wrong in your eyes, Mam.’